Get inside the head Shifter Dan from Shifter Bikes in Melbourn, Australia. I love his stance on bikes and his dedication to his shop & customers. He really connects with cyclist’s passions and recognizes how valuable their riding time is, as his time is just as precious. If your mechanic doesn’t put hours in on the saddle, then how’s he/she going to truly relate to a perfectly tuned bike?

I also watched (listened to) the 52 minute interview with Andy White of Fyxomatosis the other day at work and found myself relating to much of what he said. I too love having bicycles as a common denominator between my close buds, but often am more interested in the individual’s real passions/characteristics. During my days racing, so many folks would get caught up over their personal metrics, wattage and training, and thus, would pretty much just talk about themselves to each other…which can get boring pretty quickly. These days, I’ve been focusing on riding a variety of terrain and bikes, keeping things fresh and planning on taking some more bike camping trips this spring summer around New England. But take it from Dan and Andy, they’ve said it better than me.

If you’ve got headphones, I’d highly recommend both these videos. More at Biking Brisbane.

A few shorts accompanying the new photo book on Richard Sachs, compiled over a year-and-a-half in Mass.

“Shot over a year and half in Massachusetts and across New England. 110 pages with over 120 black & white photographs. Landscape format – 11.75″ x 8.25″Printed in Massachusetts, United States of America”